Method of making buckle and strap assemblies



Nov. 26, 1968 c BLOCK ETAL 3,413,170

METHOD OF MAKING BUCKLE AND STRAP ASSEMBLIES Filed Aug. 2, 1965 United States Patent 3,413,170 METHOD OF MAKING BUCKLE AND STRAP ASSEMBLIES Charles Block, North Bellmore, and Leon J. Mintz, Brooklyn, N .Y., assignors to Undergarment Assemblies, Inc., North Bellmore, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Aug. 2, 1965, Ser. No. 476,376 3 Claims. (Cl. 156-204) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE In the manufacture of buckle and strap assemblies of the type used in ladies undergarments, an improved method of temporarily securing the fixed loop of the strap involves the use of a piece of tape bent to U shape, the tape having a pressure sensitive adhesive on the outer sides of the U so that when placed between the opposing inner faces of the strap loop, the loop is pressed against the adhesive for temporarily holding the two sides of the strap in place until it can be sewn into the garment.

This invention relates to an improved method of making buckle and strap assemblies of the type used extensively in ladies undergarments.

In such assemblies, there is a fixed loop of ribbon which must be turned over and fastened to itself in some way to prevent it being misplaced relative to the buckle during handling. The fixed loop is finally sewn into the garment so that such a fastening need only be temporary.

One common method of fastening the strap loop is by stitching on a sewing machine but this is a costly operation and does not lend itself to automatic assembly machinery. In some cases, heat-sealing has been utilized but this is limited to certain thermoplastic materials.

The general purpose of this invention, therefore, is to provide a relatively inexpensive method of fastening the two sides of the strap loop; to make the operation adapted to automatic assembling machinery; and to provide a method which is useful for all of the commonly used strap materials.

According to the invention, we make use of a temporary dispensable fastening in the form of a pressuresensitive adhesive tape, but since the handling of a double surface coated tape is very difficult, our improved method employes a U-shaped configuration of adhesive tape where only the outside face of the U-shape is adhesive. This will adequately fasten the two sides of the loop and maintain the measured relationship between them as they were originally assembled and until the assembly can be sewn into a garment.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawing, I have shown for purposes of illustration, one embodiment which the invention may assume in practice. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 shows a buckle and strap assembly, in sectional perspective, used in the manufacture of undergarments with the fixed loop of the assembly made according to this invention;

FIGS. 2, 3 and 4 indicate the various stages of forming the U-shaped piece of adhesive tape;

FIGS. 5 and 6 indicate diagrammatically the threading of the strap through a buckle to form the strap loop;

FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 indicate diagrammaticallythe insertion of the adhesive tape and its attachment to the inner faces of the loop;

FIG. 10 is a diagrammatic plan view to indicate the relationship between the adhesive tape forming and the strap threading operation; and

FIG. 11 is a plan view of the strap gripping fingers with the supporting body in section on a large scale.

A typical assembly as seen in FIG. 1 comprises an adjustable buckle 11 for adjusting the length of the strap 12 which connects to the link or buckle 13 by an adjusta-ble loop 14. The fixed loop consists of a strap 15 also threaded through the buckle 13 and turned back upon itself. The two sides of this loop are fastened together by a U-shape piece of tape 16 which is adhered to the inner faces of the strap loop 15.

Thermoplastic tape T is fed from a roll 17 over an idler 18 and feed drums 19 and 20, downwardly between a cut-off knife 21 and cut-off block 22. It then passes in front of a transfer bar 23 having a V-shaped groove 24 facing the adhesive side of the tape T. At this point, a length of adhesive tape is cut-off by a knife 21, the length being sufficient to make a U-shape piece 16. At the same time, the transfer bar 23 moves laterally to the position of FIG. 4 where the forming tool 25 wedges the piece of adhesive tape into the groove 24. It will thus adhere to the transfer bar 23 when the latter is withdrawn from the forming tool 25. Y

The strap material S for the loop 15 is fed from a roll 26 intermittently by suitable feeding tools, such as gripper jaws 27 and 28, the jaw 27 having a supporting shelf 29. At the completion of this feeding movement as seen in FIG. 6, a threading tool 30 engages the strap S to push it through the eye of buckle 13 which is supported in a buckle track 31. During the forward feeding movement of the strap S, the clamping tool 32 is also advanced over the buckle 13. This tool carries suitable strap-gripping devices. As indicated schematically in FIG. 11, there may be a pair of fingers 33 and 34 tensioned in opposite directions as by springs 35 and 36 respectively. On the advance movement, the finger 34 may engage a stop 37 so as to open the gripper fingers as seen in FIG. 6, and allow the strap to be fed upwardly between them by means of tool 30. In the reverse movement of this clamping tool, the fingers will spring together to grip the strap and turn it over upon itself as seen in FIG. 7, to form the open loop in strap 15.

At this stage, the transfer bar 23, which is mounted to one side of the strap S, moves laterally to the dotted line position shown in FIG. 10. Next, the U-shape piece 16 is brought into the open strap loop and in position to be attached. The attaching operation is shown in FIG. 8 and for this purpose, there are indicated a pair of pressing tools 38 which move against the outer surfaces of the strap loop alongside the transfer bar 23. Then the transfer bar 23 may be withdrawn because the U-shape piece 16 will adhere firmly to the inner faces of the strap loop. A slight further movement of the strap clamping tool 32 will open the fingers 33 and 34 by means of the stop 40 in the path of extension 41 of the outer finger 34. The finished product as seen in FIG. 9 can now be ejected by suitable means after having first been severed from the strap coming from the feed roll by some shearing tool as indicated by the knife 39.

It will thus be seen that we have provided a simple and economical method of securing the ends of the strap loop so that they will not be displaced during subsequent handling operations until they can be firmly sewn into the garment.

What we claim is:

1. The method of making a buckle and strap assembly comprising (a) threading a strap through a buckle; Y

(b) turning the strap back upon itself to form an open loop;

(0) forming into a U-shape configuration a piece of tape with a pressure-sensitive adhesive on only the outer side of the U; and

(d) pressing the opposed inner faces of said open strap loop into contact with said U-shaped piece for temporarily fastening together the two sides of said loop.

2. The method of making a buckle and strap assembly comprising (a) threading a strap through a buckle;

(b) turning the strap back upon itself to form an open loop;

(c) forming into a U-shape configuration a piece of tape with a pressure-sensitive adhesive on only the outer side of the U;

(d) inserting said formed piece into said open loop;

and

(e) pressing the opposed inner faces of said open strap loop into contact with said U-shape piece for temporarily fastening together the two sides of said loop.

3. The method of making a buckle and strap assembly comprising (a) threading a strap through a buckle;

(b) turning the strap back upon itself to form an open loop;

(0) pushing a section of a tape having one side treated with a pressure-sensitive adhesive into a groove of loop.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Osterhof 117139 Davis 156247 X Carlin et a1. 156247 X Hawkins 26017 Brownstein 22349 X Brownstein 22349 X Block et a1. 1567O Edelrnan 156-70 X Solofi 156247 X HAROLD ANSHER, Primary Examiner. 

